How to provide what parents actually want from your school website

Let’s face it. People are in a hurry. Parents coming to your school website want to find information fast. But how can you provide what they need when each family is so different? The answer is: journey mapping. Here’s a quick guide to working out what you need for whom.

 

Know your audience

The first rule of effective communication is to know who you’re talking to. Marketing specialists will often segment all of your visitors into groups. For example, prospective parents, parents of current pupils, prospective teachers and so on. They might even create a fictional persona for each segment, to make them easier to ‘talk to’.

 

Journey mapping

Choosing a school for your child is an important decision. And parents will go through a series of different stages, like a journey. It starts when they first discover your school. They may then want to compare it to other options, before choosing to apply.

With your persona in mind, imagine you’re taking the same journey. Visit your website and try to find relevant information. Think about what offline content the visitor will see that complements the experience (or not, as the case may be.) And don’t forget the emotional part of research. This is where engaging photos, videos and text can really tell the story of your school. And provide much-needed reassurance.

Repeat this process for your other audience segments. Are there any gaps or areas for improvement?

The right navigational design can make your school website more effective. And it can save valuable time for your administrative team, if they don’t have to answer common questions individually. 

 

At Blue Apple Education, we’ve been working with schools for over 20 years. We love to unearth what’s remarkable about your story. And to bring it across in a way that resonates with parents. Need any help with journey mapping? Please get in touch.


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